(670 The Score) The Cubs sit at 19-22 through the first quarter of this 2023 season, having showcased both some promise and inconsistency.
After dropped a third straight game Monday by virtue of a 6-4 loss to the Astros, the Cubs are hoping their fortunes turn favorable soon. Despite the club's sub-.500 record, Cubs left fielder Ian Happ believes his team is built to contend and win this season, though he understands the ebbs and flows that come over the course of a 162-game campaign.
“It feels like we have a group that has the ability and the chance to do it,” Happ said on the Bernstein & Holmes Show on Tuesday. “There's a lot of guys in the clubhouse that are hungry to win. There’s a lot of guys that have won in other places, and that’s what they expect. And then you have guys who are in that point in their career where all they want to do is win. It’s a really cool atmosphere and environment to be around.
“This group has played much better than the record. That’s not on any of us, and it’s kind of hard to pinpoint where it is. But I think where groups or teams get in trouble is you try to find why the record doesn’t reflect the performance. All that stuff is behind you. You can’t figure that out or there’s 100 things that happen over the course of a baseball game that lead to a win or loss. Some of that is luck associated.
“Sometimes you just got to put your head down, keep doing what you’re doing and wait for the tide to turn. It stinks when you’re sitting there in that in-between time when you keep doing the right stuff and it’s not turning and it’s not turning. But once it does turn, that’s when it gets kind of fun.”
The Cubs have a plus-27 run differential this season, the third-best mark in the National League. But they're in third place in the NL Central standings, four games back of the division-leading Brewers (23-18).
The Cubs visit the Astros on Tuesday evening at Minute Maid Ballpark. First pitch is schedule for 7:10 p.m. CT from Houston and can be heard on 670 The Score.
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